Flight attendants discovered the five rodents in a storage
compartment just before the passengers were due to embark on the Brisbane-bound
flight at 5 p.m. Passengers were transferred to a rat-free plane.

A Qantas spokesperson told AAP they were “baby rats” and the
airline “was currently investigating how they got into the aircraft,” Sky News reports.

The Civil Aviation Authority has been informed of the rat
invasion.

Rats are not only hard to detect on aircraft, but also can
damage intricate wiring. Engineers who inspected the aircraft yesterday
deemed no damage had been done.

A spokesperson told smh.com.au that the rats had been removed and the plane would not have
to be stripped down. It was hoped it would be back in service today.

It’s been hard times for Qantas: it is currently facing
possible industrial action from pilots and engineers, and its “longest 747
flight in the world” between Dallas and Sydney was forced to make an unscheduled landing earlier this week.